How to Add or Remove Passwords from Excel Workbooks, Worksheets, and Cells

One of the features that Excel offers is password protection, which can help users protect their sensitive or confidential information from unauthorized access or modification. However, not all password protection options in Excel are equally secure, and some of them can be easily bypassed or compromised by hackers or malicious software. In this blog post, we’ll explore the different types of password protection in Excel, how they work, and how secure they are.

There are three main types of password protection in Excel:

Excel Workbook password: This option allows the user to set a password to open or change the entire workbook file. The user will then be asked to enter and confirm their preferred password. After the workbook password is set, anyone trying to open or modify the workbook file must first enter the correct password. Excel Worksheet password: This option allows the user to set a password to protect specific worksheets in the workbook from being viewed, edited, or deleted. To set worksheet password, user need to right click on worksheet tab and choose Protect Sheet. The user will then be prompted to enter and confirm their preferred password, and select the actions they wish to allow or disallow on the protected worksheet. Once a worksheet password is set, anyone trying to view, edit, or delete the protected worksheet must first enter the correct password. Excel Cell Password: This option allows the user to set a password to lock specific cells or ranges of cells in a worksheet from being edited or formatted. To set a cell password, the user must select the cell or range of cells that they want to lock. Then, the user needs to protect the entire worksheet by following the steps of setting a worksheet password. Once a cell’s password is set, anyone trying to edit or format locked cells must first enter the correct password.

While these password protection options can provide a certain level of security for Excel files, they are insecure and can be easily cracked by various methods. Some of the common ways that hackers or malicious software can bypass or hack Excel passwords are:

Brute force attack: This method involves trying every possible combination of characters until the correct password is found. This can take some time depending on the length and complexity of the password, but it’s guaranteed to work in the end. Dictionary attack: This method involves experimenting with a list of common or possible passwords based on words, phrases, or patterns the user might use. This can be faster than a brute force attack if the password is simple or predictable, but may not work if the password is random or unclear. Password recovery software: This method involves using special software tools that can exploit vulnerabilities in Excel encryption algorithms or file formats to recover or remove passwords from Excel files. It can be very fast and effective, but may require some technical skills or knowledge.

Therefore, users who want to protect their Excel files from unauthorized access or modification should not only rely on the password protection option in Excel, but also use other security measures such as:

Choose a strong and unique password long, complex, and random ones, and change them regularly. Store passwords safely in an encrypted vault or managerand not write it down or share it with anyone. Encrypt Excel files with third-party software or services which uses a stronger encryption method than Excel’s built-in encryption method. Back up Excel files regularly and store them in a safe location such as cloud storage or external drives. Scan Excel files for viruses or malware before opening or downloading them from an unknown source.

Password protection in Excel can be useful to prevent accidental or casual access to or modification of Excel files, but is not sufficient to ensure a high level of security of sensitive or confidential information. Users should be aware of the limitations and risks of using password protection in Excel, and take additional precautions to protect their data from potential threats.

How to Protect an Excel Worksheet/Workbook With a Password

The following steps show how to protect an Excel workbook which is the entire Excel file with all its contents.

Click “File” at the top left

Switch to “Info”and click “Protect Workbook”–”“Encrypt with Password”

In the “Encrypt Document” pop-up, enter your password and click “OK”

A good password to protect your Excel workbook is a must have minimum 8 charactersand include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. A good password shouldn’t be based on personal information, common words, or sequential patterns. A good password should be changed regularly, and not reused for different accounts.

Re-enter the password and click “OK”

Your workbook in Excel is now encrypted and password protected

How to Remove Password From Excel Worksheet/Workbook

The following steps show how to unprotect an Excel workbook which is the entire Excel file with all its contents.

When you open a password protected Excel file, you must first open the workbook

Then click “File” to open the options menu

Select “Info”and click “Protect Workbook”– “Encrypt with Password”

Delete existing Password and click “OK”

Your Excel workbook is now unprotected and can be used without a password

How to Lock Sheets in Excel Using a Password

Use the following steps to lock an Excel spreadsheet/one Excel worksheet in an Excel Workbook).

Right-click the tab of the Excel sheet you want to assign a password to

Enter a password, select “Protect locked worksheets and cell contents” and what you want the password to apply to

When you protect a sheet in Excel, you have several options to adjust the level of access that users have. Two of these options are “Select locked cells” and “Select unlocked cells”. This is what it means:

Select locked cell: If this option is checked, users can select (click) locked cells, but they cannot edit them unless they have the password to unprotect the sheet. If this option is unchecked, the user cannot even select locked cells.

Select an unlocked cell: If this option is checked, users can select and edit unlocked cells, even if the sheet is protected. If this option is unchecked, users cannot select or edit unlocked cells.

So the difference between these options is in what the user can select and potentially edit:

If you check only “Select locked cells”, users can select locked cells but not edit them, and they cannot select or edit unlocked cells. If you tick only ”Select unlocked cells”, users cannot select or edit locked cells, but they can select and edit unlocked cells. If you check both options, users can select locked and unlocked cells, but they can only edit unlocked cells. If you uncheck both options, users cannot select or edit any cells on the sheet.

Remember, this option only applies if the sheet is protected. If the sheet is unprotected, the user can select and edit all cells, regardless of this setting.

Confirm the password and click “OK” to secure the Excel sheet

How To Unlock Excel Sheets Removing Passwords

Use the following steps to unprotect an Excel sheet (a single spreadsheet within an Excel Workbook).

Right-click the Excel sheet tab and select “Unprotect Sheet”

Enter the password and click “OK” to unprotect the Excel sheet

How to Lock or Unlock Specific Cells in Excel Worksheet/Workbook

This feature allows you to lock specific cells in a worksheet. When a cell is locked, it cannot be edited. However, cell locking only takes effect when the worksheet is protected. This means you can lock cells in a worksheet, but if the worksheet isn’t protected, users can still edit those cells.

When you use a worksheet password in combination with cell locking, you add an extra layer of protection. You can lock specific cells that contain important data or formulas that you don’t want to change, then protect the entire worksheet with a password. This way, even if someone knows the password and can make changes to the worksheet, they still can’t edit the locked cells.

Select the cells you want to lock and click “Format” in the “Home”-Ribbon

Click “Format Cells”

Switch to “Protection” and select or deselect “Locked”

How to Encrypt Excel Files Using Encryption File System (EFS)

When you choose to encrypt an Excel file with EFS as shown in our other guide, Windows will generate a unique encryption key for the file. This key is used to convert the data in the file into a format that cannot be understood without the key. This process is transparent to you as the user – you don’t have to manually encrypt or decrypt files.

When you, as the owner of the file, try to access it, Windows will automatically use the encryption key to decrypt the file and allow you to view and edit it as normal. The decryption process is also transparent – ​​you don’t have to decrypt files manually.

If someone else tries to access the file – for example, if they gain unauthorized access to your computer or if they steal the hard drive – they will not be able to read the file. Without your unique encryption key, the data in the file looks like gibberish.

If you want to share a file with others, you must first decrypt it, or the recipient must have an encryption certificate that matches the one used to encrypt the file. If the recipient doesn’t have the appropriate certificate, they won’t be able to read the file.

BitLocker is a proprietary encryption program for Windows that prevents unauthorized access to drives and can protect against malware. When you perform BitLocker encryption on a drive, it is converted to random numbers and letters until you enter your BitLocker password or USB key, which decrypts the drive. Check out our other guides to learn how to use BitLocker encryption.

If you want to encrypt and protect an Excel file with a password, you can use a method other than Excel’s built-in password protection or in combination to add another level of security. Check out our other guides on how to password protect Excel file folders or other documents.